Thursday, November 21, 2013

Look, we all know that LinkedIn is incredibly important. That it’s gone beyond being an online CV is obvious. It’s also much more than just a place for making online business connections.The professional social network is a great place for promoting content, your business, and most importantly yourself. But with over 150-million registered users, getting noticed can sometimes be a little tricky. Most of use recognise that merely filling out a profile isn’t going to cut it. As LinkedIn’s Nicole Williams notes “being part of an online community means engaging regularly to make an impact.” Knowing where to go beyond there though isn’t always easy. To try to make things a bit simpler, LinkedIn has released four tips for making sure you get noticed.1. Sharing is caring The social network reckons that people who share articles or content with their LinkedIn network at least once a week “are nearly ten times more likely to be contacted by a recruiter for new opportunities” than people who don’t.It also recommends you as your network a question via your status update like “I’ve got a new business pitch with Nike tomorrow. Does anyone have any contacts over at Nike?”. Or make a general comment like “I’m heading to the airport for a client meeting in Denver.” Don’t go overboard though, quality counts for a lot more than quantity. It’s also worth remembering the nature of the platform. While your statuses on Facebook might reflect who you are as a person, every status update you share on LinkedIn is a reflection of who you are as a professional.2. Create a schedule LinkedIn suggests using its mobile and iPad apps if you’re having trouble fitting in time to spend on it. The apps are especially useful if you commute to work using public transport.“Maybe a connection is going to be in the same city as you next week or someone is looking for a freelancer to help with her content development. You’ll know before you hit your desk,” it says.Tips 3,4, and the complete article

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

More and more recruiters are using social media tools like LinkedIn to find the best candidates in the market. As a graduate on the job hunt, it’s important to not only have an up-to-date resume but also an optimized LinkedIn profile in order to open doors and land that dream job.Create an Attention-Grabbing HeadlineNo matter where they’re used, headlines are always the most important component to any piece of content because they are what grab the reader’s attention. LinkedIn allows 120 characters for a headline and these characters should be used to state what a candidate does as opposed to what they are. And it goes without saying that these headlines need to be enticing to get employers and recruiters to click on the profile.Have an Appropriate Profile PictureLinkedIn is a social media network for professionals to connect, not for friends and families to show off vacation photos. Having a professional headshot with a neutral background is the best way a candidate can present themselves to prospective employers. The photos should be warm and personable but always, always professional.Keywords

Industry-relevant keywords used throughout a user profile help that profile be found higher within LinkedIn’s search rankings, which increases the likelihood the candidate’s profile will get noticed. It’s a good idea to use keywords specifically in the skills section since these sections will also come up in search queries as well.Tips 4-7 and the complete article

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

You know the drill. You’re unhappy in your current job — or unhappy with no job — and are desperately updating your LinkedIn profile that hasn’t been touched since the last time you were in this situation.Well, you’re not alone; this sums up the dysfunctional relationship many professionals have with their LinkedIn profiles. While some flock to LinkedIn only when in need and apply to already posted positions, the platform is at its best when maintained regularly and optimized to allow hiring managers to reach out to you.LinkedIn's career expert Nicole Williams helps elaborate on six ways to optimize your profile and attract more recruiters to you now.

1. Develop a Keyword Strategy

If search engine optimization is not your expertise, here is a mini lesson. LinkedIn’s search functionality makes it easy to find people by their name, skills and any other words that appear in their profile — which is why these words should be chosen with thought.First, make a list of terms associated with your skills and experience. Ask yourself, "What words would someone search for to find me?" If strapped for terms, seek inspiration from a job positing you are interested in.Next, take those terms and rework them from the perspective of a searching recruiter. For example, you may have the term "digital strategy" in your LinkedIn profile; however, a recruiter would be more likely to search for the term "digital strategist." Synonyms are also important; you never know if recruiters will search for "digital," "online" or "Internet," so include them all. Lastly, you want to organically incorporate these key terms into your profile to attract both the search engine and human reader alike.

2. Say Cheese

Williams says that "hiring managers are seven times more likely to view your profile if you have a photo; it’s a must have."Not only does a photo allow your profile to stand out in the search results, but also shows recruiters that you are active on the network and LinkedIn is a viable way to contact you. Williams suggests using a photo that places you in the context of your job. You want to help hiring managers envision you in that position."If you are a chef, feel free to show yourself in a kitchen, or in front of a whiteboard if you are a marketer," Williams says. "But don’t use a picture of yourself with your dog, unless you’re a veterinarian."

3. Be Vain

Williams also prompts all passive and active job seekers to claim their vanity URL. This is a customized URL that drives directly to your profile."Using your name in your vanity URL gives it a chance to appear in a Google when someone searches for you," says Williams.This makes it easier for hiring managers to find you and share your information with other hiring managers. If your preferred vanity URL is already claimed, incorporate a relevant key term, for example www.linkedin.com/in/CarlySimonSinger.Ways 4-6 and the complete Mashable article

Monday, November 18, 2013

Welcome to the busiest season of the year: schedules are filled with holiday shopping, end-of-year planning, get-togethers, winter weather prep, and so much more. It can be difficult to keep on top of your job search when the rest of life is so busy. My best advice is to create a simple, consistent job search schedule and stick to it. To get you started, here’s a sample schedule to help you master LinkedIn in just 15 minutes per day.

Monday

Start your week with a five-minute scan of the feed on your LinkedIn homepage. Your network may be sharing interesting articles and you may come across valuable insights from your chosen LinkedIn Today channels or the Influencers you follow. If you see an article that interests you, quickly skim it and click “like” to acknowledge the person who posted it.

Spend the next 10 minutes searching for jobs that are posted on LinkedIn. A recent study by Bright.com reported that Monday is the best day to look for a job, so don’t procrastinate! Many jobs allow you to apply using your LinkedIn profile, so you can quickly submit your application. If you’re a Job Seeker Premium subscriber, don’t forget to click “feature my application” so you can appear at the top of the list of job applicants for jobs where applications are collected on LinkedIn.

Tuesday

Scroll through your feed again for the first five minutes. This time, comment on the status updates of a few of your connections. Even a simple “Congratulations!” on a job change can nurture your relationships and help you stay top of mind, which may prompt others to review your profile and even recommend an opportunity they hear about.

Spend the next five minutes visiting your favorite LinkedIn Groups. Post some thoughts on a Featured Discussion or do a search on your area of interest and comment on a discussion related to that topic. To get the biggest return on your time investment, you can post a discussion yourself. Asking a simple, professionally relevant question generally attracts the most comments, such as “What is your favorite all-time marketing book?” or “What tech trends are you predicting for 2014?”

Take the last five minutes of your Tuesday to make sure your LinkedIn Inbox is clear. Respond to messages and connection requests to show people who reach out to you that you are eager to build and nurture your professional relationships.

Thursday, November 7, 2013

By Samantha CollierWhat separates the great LinkedIn profiles from the average ones is how people use all of the various features on LinkedIn. Of course, it’s also important to have a fully optimized profile.

But it’s not good enough to just fill out your profile anymore. You must do that pesky act we all talk about so often—engage.

The LinkedIn blog recently published an article about four ways to stand out on LinkedIn. Here’s the distilled version:

1. Status updates

LinkedIn users who share content with their LinkedIn networks at least once per week are nearly 10 times more likely to be contacted by a recruiter for new opportunities. News feeds are prominently displayed on home pages due to the recent LinkedIn upgrades. Take advantage of this by sharing articles, blog posts, third-party content, newsletters, etc. Remember, quality is key. And don’t over post either.

2. Schedule, schedule, schedule

Many professionals (including the attorneys with whom I work) don’t think they have the time to be active on LinkedIn. Because LinkedIn has a variety of smartphone and iPad apps, this can’t be your excuse anymore.

Create a schedule and stick to it. Remember, you have to repeat a new action a hundred times to create a new habit. Post updates to LinkedIn on the train to work in the morning, or when you have your morning coffee. When you do it is up to you but you need to stick with it.Secrets 3,4, and the complete article

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

It was easy to get recommendations when you were six. All you really needed was a pocketful of Jolly Ranchers (especially the watermelon kind). Kids you didn’t know were suddenly your friends. They told other kids about you and suddenly they were your friends, too. It was all fun and games until it got hot outside and the Jolly Ranchers got melty and sticky.

Now you’re a grownup, and a pocket full of Jolly Ranchers won’t do you much good, especially if you’re looking for a job. And the problem isn’t just that you can’t send Jolly Ranchers through the Internet. No, it’s more complicated than that.

Have you ever asked a LinkedIn Connection for a Recommendation and heard… nothing? They days turn into weeks, and you know darn well they’re active on LinkedIn because you see them in your feed? Frustrating, isn’t it? And confusing.

There’s any number of reasons, good and not-so-good, why your Connection may not have responded to your Recommendation request. Here are some reasons you might not get recommendations on LinkedIn:

1. He may not know how to respond to your Recommendation request.

It’s within the realm of possibility that your Connection is a bit of a luddite. Maybe he can do basic things LinkedIn – perhaps a friend helped him set up his profile. But when he got your Recommendation request, he didn’t know what to do. If you are certain this Recommendation is worth the time and effort for both of you, offer a lesson – screen shots via e-mail, possibly, or a visit to his office.

2. She honestly may have forgotten.

Maybe she is in the middle of a big project at work, or maybe she’s overwhelmed for other reasons. If you have every reason to believe this person would give you a good recommendation, it’s okay to send a reminder message or e-mail, “Hey, did you forget…?” You can also send your request again.

Go to your Settings and enter your password.

Click “Manage your recommendations.”

Find the position you’ve requested the recommendation for and click “Manage.”

Find the person you want to remind and click on “Resend” next to her name.

Edit the message and hit send. I put in an extra “Just a polite reminder :-)” at the top.

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

As the use of social media in the hiring process has grown in popularity over the last several years, recruiters and hiring managers aren’t hiding from it. In fact, they’re using technology tools such as LinkedIn as a pre-interview tactic to narrow down candidates for job openings.

To find out what they’re looking for, I interviewed technology recruiters and HR experts. Based on their comments, you might decide it’s time to polish your LinkedIn profile.What’s important to hiring managers/recruitersScreening a LinkedIn profile is similar to screening a resume. “The candidate initially gets about 30 seconds of my time to entice me to keep reading,” says Jennifer Olsen, president of Resourceful HR. “The most important thing I look for is relevant experience compared to my open position. Providing testimonials and endorsements that further support that experience also helps me know that the candidate is serious about the information they are trying to convey.”Because reviewers give candidates only a short amount of time to catch their attention, the Background Summary section is critical. “Job seekers should post a thorough Summary about their professional experience and what they’re trying to sell or market about themselves to prospective employers,” recommends Amy Giustino, regional managing director at Resources Global Professionals.Telling your work “story” is also important. “The candidate’s profile should clearly present their experience and how they have progressed throughout their career, including the use of easily understood titles,” says Cindy Olsen, VP of HR at Concur Technologies.Turn-offs when viewing candidates’ profilesOne of the biggest negatives of everyone I interviewed was an incomplete profile. “If a candidate doesn’t complete their profile with their relevant experience, it makes it hard to determine their qualifications when recruiting,” says Jason Woolwine, senior recruiter at Apptio, Inc.

Another issue is when the online profile doesn’t match the person’s resume, such as different dates, job titles, job descriptions or education. “We see it happen all the time and it raises some red flags,” Woolwine says.“We are turned off by candidates who don’t have a complete job history, who didn’t give a brief description of their responsibilities in each position or who indicated they aren’t looking for new opportunities,” adds TJ Floyd, managing partner at Prodigy Resources. Floyd recommends that candidates “keep their profiles updated and indicate whether or not they want to hear about new opportunities.”More tips, information, and the complete Forbes article

Monday, November 4, 2013

Common Questions About LinkedIn Followers and LinkedIn Connections

12) Do the people who you personally connect with automatically become followers of your company page?

Your connections are personal connections associated with your personal LinkedIn profile. Followers of a company page are not the same. Followers must click the “Follow” button at the top right of your company page. Followers also do not need confirmation like connections do.

13) How do you get more followers to your company page?

Put LinkedIn follow buttons on your website pages to help drive relevant traffic to your company page, link to your company page in blog posts and in emails you send, and include social share buttons on all pieces of content you create. You can also link to your company page on other social media networks.

Common Questions About LinkedIn Analytics

15) What are "clicks," "impressions," and "engagement" of company page posts?

Each company page post gives you metrics to help you determine which post does best. "Clicks" refer to the number of people who click on your post, either to view the content or to come to your company page. "Impressions" refer to the number of eyeballs on your company page post, either in their newsfeed or on your company page. One person can account for more than one impression. "Engagement" is the collective number of likes, comments, shares, and clicks, divided by impressions -- it's given to you as an engagement rate. This shows you if you post was engaging to your followers.

Common Questions About LinkedIn Company Pages

1) Is a LinkedIn Company Page free?

4) Can you manage more than one company page?

You can be the administrator of more than one company page. In order to do this, you must be associated with the company in your current job section on your personal LinkedIn profile, and have a company email address that is a unique domain. For example, our unique domain is <name>@hubspot.com.